Can You Get Busted for Your Bracket? Duane Morris Partner Christopher Soriano on Office Pools, Fantasy Sports and All Things Gaming Law

Duane Morris partner Christopher Soriano of the firm’s Cherry Hill office appeared on a recent broadcast of the “Wagner & Winick on the Law” radio program, during which he joined co-hosts Dean Mitchel Winick and Professor Stephen Wagner, both of Monterey College of Law, to discuss the interplay of federal and state laws in the United States related to regulating gambling and how many of these laws are outdated. A sampling of the topics discussed include Internet gaming, office brackets, fantasy sports, casinos and the lottery.

Within the context of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, Mr. Soriano provided insights on the gaming law implications of office bracket tournaments, which, as in most instances where people put in money on the results of a sporting event, are illegal for the most part. Mr. Soriano also commented on the developing area of fantasy sports and the important distinction to be drawn between games of skill and games of chance. For example, the traditional season-long fantasy sports contests are considered legal because skill is involved; while daily fantasy contests have been viewed as being illegal games of chance. Therefore, where is the line between when something is a contest of skill and when it is a contest of chance?

To listen to the radio program in its entirety, please visit the Recent Podcasts, Webcasts and Audio section on the Duane Morris website.

Duane Morris Partner Christopher Soriano Quoted in Law360

Duane Morris partner Christopher Soriano in the firm’s Cherry Hill office was quoted in a February 18, 2016 Law360 article (“3rd Circ. Puts Gambling Ban Constitutionality Back On Table“) detailing the 12-judge Third Circuit panel hearing discussing New Jersey’s efforts to legalize sports betting. This is the third time the appeals court has looked at the issue. Mr. Soriano discussed three possible outcomes: 1) the court could hold that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is constitutional and N.J.’s partial repeal violates it, resulting in no sports betting; 2) the court could find PASPA constitutional but that the state has complied with the act in its partial repeal, resulting in unregulated sports betting in N.J. casinos and racetracks; or 3) the court could determine that PASPA is unconstitutional and therefore regulated sports betting would be allowed in the state.

Mr. Soriano’s blog post on the hearing can also be found here.

What’s Next For Pennsylvania’s Gaming Industry?

Although by all accounts Pennsylvania’s gaming industry has a been a great success since the first casino opened in the Commonwealth in 2006, the industry now faces stiffer competition than ever for gaming dollars in the region. From 2006 to 2012, gaming revenues grew each year on a year-over-year basis, but declined slightly from 2012 to 2013. Within the next few years, several new casinos will open along the east coast in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland. Additionally, New Jersey and Delaware each recently launched Internet gaming in their states and Delaware has entered into a compact with Nevada to attract more Internet gaming revenue. The stakes are high for Pennsylvania’s gaming industry to remain competitive and to not lose gaming dollars to neighboring states.

Continue reading “What’s Next For Pennsylvania’s Gaming Industry?”

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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